Business Venlo gathered in the Maaspoort on Tuesday 12 December for an inspiring and festive programme where Jan Houwen of Volantis and Marco Baetsen of City Builders were declared winners of the Lodewijk van der Grinten Prize and winners of the Talent Award 2023. The award ceremony, now a staple event in Greater Venlo, offers entrepreneurs a special stage and is also an opportunity for the local business community to meet.
Lodewijk van der Grinten Prize
The jury selected Houwen after carefully assessing the pitches and company visits of the three nominees. He competed for this prestigious award this year together with Anouk Hendrikx Afonso of bespoke HRM and Giselle Vluggen of Forta4U. Houwen impressed the judges most with his vision and approach to this year's theme of 'personnel & development'.
Presenting the multi-faceted programme this year was Stefan Hendrikx. The evening started with pitches from the nominated talents in a packed Maaspoort, with the audience deciding the eventual winner through a digital vote. Fay de Klein provided the musical interludes, interspersed with spectacular show elements, and Mayor Scholten of Venlo finally handed over the Lodewijk van der Grinten Prize to the winning entrepreneur. Special attention was paid to the artwork presented to the winners, this year created by renowned Venlo artist Fons Schobbers.
Winner Jan Houwen
Since 2000, Jan Houwen has been managing director/CEO at Volantis Groep B.V. and all its companies. Volantis is a fast-growing engineering, architecture and consultancy organisation with 115 employees. On the subject of personnel & development, Houwen says: "A dot on the horizon was set at the time of the 2009-2012 economic crisis to become the best employer in the region. From that ambition, we developed a plan and in 2020, 2021 and 2022 we were 'the most attractive employer of Limburg', SME category".
Talent Award to Marco Baetsen
In 2015, immediately after completing his studies, Marco Baetsen registered his company Stadsbouwers at the Chamber of Commerce. With Stadsbouwers, he provides advice in the development and redevelopment of real estate. His passion lies in projects that have special meaning for a large group of people and places that are part of the city's identity.
The jury and the public agreed that this year's Talent Award, the prize for the leading Young Professional under 35 within the Municipality of Venlo, went to Marco Baetsen. In addition to the artwork, Marco will receive a study voucher offered by UMIO Maastricht University and the Municipality of Venlo.
Special initiative
Very special this year is the joint initiative of all six nominees. Not only did they compete for the award as individuals, they joined forces for a special cause. Together with OGVO, Fontys and Municipality of Venlo, they will work to connect entrepreneurs and students in regional secondary education. The idea behind this is that education and practice go hand in hand, promoting both education and practical development.
Partners and sponsors
The Lodewijk van der Grinten Prize is an initiative of the Lodewijk van der Grinten Prize Foundation, in which LLTB, MKB Noord-Limburg, Ondernemend Venlo and the Municipality of Venlo work together.
The fact that 40 companies and organisations are supporting the Lodewijk van der Grinten Prize this year demonstrates great support for promoting entrepreneurship in the Municipality of Venlo. These partners and sponsors make the organisation of the event possible every year.
The namesake of the award is Lodewijk van der Grinten (1831 - 1895), the founder of the former Océ, now Canon Production Printing. This company grew into one of the biggest economic forces in Venlo.
